Having grown up in Ontario, I can tell you that lacrosse is big in Canada. It's not as big here in the States but it is definitely catching on. I have read where it is the fastest growing sport in the United States and when you see the number of kids playing in youth leagues and club teams I can see with my own eyes why that's the case.
It's a great game and I think kids really like the constant action. Almost every week my teammate Jeff Zywicki and I visit different schools and club teams in the Bay Area to teach them some of the fundamentals and help the sport grow. I know from checking out his blog, Kyle Harrison does a lot of that too - as professional players we need to teach young kids more about our game, especially here in the States, and Kyle does a great job of that. Kyle is an outdoor lacrosse player and while I play the outdoor game too, I am best known as an indoor player. The games are very different, but the basic skills are the same. You have to be able to pass, catch and pick up loose balls. Those are a few of the skills we were teaching today.
I have done a lot of work with kids in Canada and since this is only my second year with San Jose I have not been to as many clinics here. But in the short time I have been around the Bay Area you can see there are a lot more kids playing the game. The raw athleticism is unbelievable but you can tell it's a new game to them. Their sticks skills need a lot of work and that's where we come in. The way I see it, if we get to them early and teach them the right way now they will have fewer bad habits to break when they are older. And we all know how hard it is to break bad habits.
We were working with the kids from the Pleasanton Lacrosse Club today and heading to California High School in San Ramon a little later to work with the high school team and their coaches. I have a few photos from the Pleasanton Club workout - next we'll need a photo clinic. My focus is really to put the FUN into fundamentals. Teaching them team work and work ethic are very important, especially for the young kids. Everyone at that level wants to score, but those character issues and team play are so important.
The kids are fun to be around and when you see they have so much to learn it makes you realize that you really can make a big difference. I enjoy that.
It's a great game and I think kids really like the constant action. Almost every week my teammate Jeff Zywicki and I visit different schools and club teams in the Bay Area to teach them some of the fundamentals and help the sport grow. I know from checking out his blog, Kyle Harrison does a lot of that too - as professional players we need to teach young kids more about our game, especially here in the States, and Kyle does a great job of that. Kyle is an outdoor lacrosse player and while I play the outdoor game too, I am best known as an indoor player. The games are very different, but the basic skills are the same. You have to be able to pass, catch and pick up loose balls. Those are a few of the skills we were teaching today.
I have done a lot of work with kids in Canada and since this is only my second year with San Jose I have not been to as many clinics here. But in the short time I have been around the Bay Area you can see there are a lot more kids playing the game. The raw athleticism is unbelievable but you can tell it's a new game to them. Their sticks skills need a lot of work and that's where we come in. The way I see it, if we get to them early and teach them the right way now they will have fewer bad habits to break when they are older. And we all know how hard it is to break bad habits.
We were working with the kids from the Pleasanton Lacrosse Club today and heading to California High School in San Ramon a little later to work with the high school team and their coaches. I have a few photos from the Pleasanton Club workout - next we'll need a photo clinic. My focus is really to put the FUN into fundamentals. Teaching them team work and work ethic are very important, especially for the young kids. Everyone at that level wants to score, but those character issues and team play are so important.
The kids are fun to be around and when you see they have so much to learn it makes you realize that you really can make a big difference. I enjoy that.
